These are some of the startling findings of an emerging field called work-force science. It adds a large dose of data analysis, a k a Big Data, to the field of human resource management, which has traditionally relied heavily on gut feel and established practice to guide hiring, promotion and career planning.

Work-force science, in short, is what happens when Big Data meets H.R.

No company would admit to making important personnel decisions without any concrete basis, yet this is precisely what is happening in most companies. Think of how you were recruited, evaluated, and managed by your employer. How many of the decisions were based on real evidence, and how many were based on instinct?

This is a healthy trend, and part of a larger movement called evidence-based management. Put simply, management should be based on hard science and not gut feel. That was how modern medicine moved away from alternative medicine and witch doctors.